A Sensory History of Ancient Warfare: Reconstructing the Physical Experience of War in the Classical World

by Conor Whately

Overview

How can we attempt to understand the experience of those involved in ancient battles, sieges and campaigns? What was the visual impact of seeing the massed ranks of the enemy approaching or the sky darkened with their arrows? How did it feel to be trapped in the press of bodies as phalanxes clashed shield to shield? What of the taste of dust on the march or the smell of split blood and entrails? What of the rumble of approaching cavalry, the clash of iron weapons and the screams of the dying? The assault on all five senses which must have occurred is the subject of this innovative book.

Sensory history is a new approach that attempts to understand the full spectrum of the experience of the participants in history. Conor Whately is the first to apply the discipline in a dedicated study of warfare in the classical world. He draws on literary, archaeological, reconstructive and comparative evidence to understand the human experience of the ancient battlefield in unprecedented depth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473895126
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	09/09/2021
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

List of Illustrations xiii

Introduction xv

Part I The Greek World 1

Chapter 1 The Battle of Cunaxa (401 BCE) 3

Chapter 2 The Battle of Issus (333 BCE) 23

Part II The Roman World 41

Chapter 3 The Battle of Cannae (216 BCE) 43

Chapter 4 The Sieges of Jerusalem (70 CE) and Masada (72-74 CE) 65

Part III Late Antiquity 85

Chapter 5 The Battle of Strasbourg (357 CE) 87

Chapter 6 The Siege of Edessa (544 CE) 107

Conclusion 127

Notes and References 131

Bibliography and Further Reading 145

Index 153

Editorial Reviews

"[This] is a series of case studies of famous battles, each containing an overview of how and why it was fought, in some cases the long-term effects, and a discussion of the available source material. Written informally but accessibly, this is a credible introduction for novice readers. Recommended. General readers and undergraduates."

CHOICE, July 2022 Vol. 59 No. 11 - L. W. Marvin